The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

Page 9

Hou Renying and Hong Wenxiong encountered Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong this time, and kicked a hornet's nest. But what if an ordinary person encountered them?

The other Huashan disciples agreed with Jiang Ning's words and all looked at Yue Buqun.

Chapter 16: Martial Arts Competition

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's suggestion, Yue Buqun first glanced at him in surprise.

When did this kid become so eager to go down the mountain?

However, after thinking for a moment, Yue Buqun shook his head.

"inappropriate."

He said to Jiang Ning and his disciples, “I think this matter was done by Hou Renying and Hong Renxiong on their own, and has nothing to do with Abbot Yu and the Qingcheng Sect. Abbot Yu is a hero of the righteous path, and he is not the kind of person who can teach disciples like this. It must be a misunderstanding. If we go to Sichuan to find Abbot Yu rashly, it will inevitably embarrass him.”

"Besides, Chong'er has already taught them a lesson, so it's not appropriate for us to go there. If we beat up their disciple and then go to them to demand an explanation, it will give the impression that the Huashan Sect is abusing its power."

"I will write a letter and send it to Abbot Yu to explain this matter and see what he says. If it is a misunderstanding, we can clear it up. But if Abbot Yu and the entire Qingcheng Sect are like this, it will not be too late for us to go then."

Yue Buqun still did not agree.

The other Huashan disciples felt somewhat disappointed, but they also felt that what their master said made a lot of sense.

Jiang Ning did not speak again.

Since Yue Buqun doesn't want to go, he can simply go to Dujiangyan in Sichuan when he goes down the mountain to see if the entire Qingcheng Sect is like Hou Renying and Hong Wenxiong. If so, he can kill them all.

Although he was a second-rate expert, apart from Yu Canghai, no one else in the Qingcheng Sect posed any threat to him. As long as he didn't confront Yu Canghai head-on, those people wouldn't escape his grasp.

Some of these martial arts practitioners use their skills to commit evil deeds, especially those from sects. They are used to bullying others and no one cares about them. No one knows how many evil things they have done.

These people and sects usually claim to be righteous and prestigious, but their actions are no different from those of the demonic path.

Since nobody else is in charge, then he will.

Jiang Ning thought to himself indifferently.

"Since the other party provoked you first, it's not your problem anymore. You two will not be punished for fighting with others outside."

When Yue Buqun spoke, Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong were immediately delighted, but the next moment Yue Buqun's words made them uneasy.

"However, the fact that you two went down the mountain without permission must be punished."

Yue Buqun said calmly.

Yue Lingshan's face fell, but she didn't dare to say anything.

If even she didn't dare to speak, then Linghu Chong would be even less likely to.

"Your punishments will be postponed. Today is the day of the sect's assessment, so you two should take the assessment first."

Yue Buqun said to Linghu Chong, "Chong'er, Ning'er hasn't started her assessment yet. Originally, I was going to assess her myself, but since you're back, why don't you spar with Ning'er? It'll be a good opportunity to see if you two have improved during this time."

"Yes!"

Linghu Chong's eyes lit up immediately, and he replied loudly.

Among the second-generation disciples of Mount Hua, only Jiang Ning was at the same level as him, and the two were evenly matched. In previous sect assessments, they had always been evenly matched. Now, after a month apart, and with Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze away from Mount Hua and no one presiding over the sect assessments, they hadn't competed for several months. He wanted to have another match with Jiang Ning to see who could advance further.

Jiang Ning had no objections.

For him, Linghu Chong was indeed a very good opponent. Although he was not afraid of being hurt by Yue Buqun, Yue Buqun's strength far surpassed his own, and he would definitely hold back in every move. He could not intuitively feel how much he had improved when they fought.

"Hehe, junior brother, we were evenly matched last time, let's do it again this time."

Linghu Chong winked and smiled at Jiang Ning.

"Although my senior brother went down the mountain this month, I didn't slack off at all."

Jiang Ning nodded and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Please give me some advice, senior brother."

Upon hearing that Linghu Chong was going to have a duel with Jiang Ning, Lu Dayou, Gao Genming, and the other Huashan disciples all lit up with excitement and couldn't help but look forward to it.

"You just joined my Huashan Sect yesterday and are fortunate enough to witness the sect's assessment, the disciple competition. Right now, your senior brother and junior brother Jiang Ning are competing. They are the most skilled martial artists among your generation of disciples. Watch carefully and learn from them."

Ning Zhongze spoke gently to the children from the side.

The children nodded blankly, then stared intently at the center of the training ground, looking very serious.

"Go, senior brother! Go, senior brother!"

Before the fight even started, Yue Lingshan began shouting and yelling, cupping her hands around her mouth like a cheerleader.

The other disciples smiled when they saw her like this.

The eldest brother and the youngest sister were childhood sweethearts and had a very deep relationship.

Yue Buqun glared at her.

"Shouting and yelling like that, what kind of behavior is this?"

Yue Lingshan reluctantly lowered her hand and made a face where Yue Buqun couldn't see her.

"Keep it up, Jiang Ning junior brother."

It wasn't that there weren't people who encouraged Jiangning; Du Lanyin was one of them.

However, unlike Yue Lingshan, she stared intently at Linghu Chong and Jiang Ning in the training ground, her hands clenching slightly as she silently cheered for Jiang Ning.

Zheng~

Linghu Chong drew his sword, took a step back with his left leg, leaned forward, and assumed an attacking stance, ready to charge forward.

But the next second.

call out!

A whooshing sound came as a sharp sword spun in mid-air before slashing towards his face.

Linghu Chong, who had intended to take the initiative and gain the upper hand, had no choice but to switch from offense to defense upon seeing the situation. With a flick of his wrist, he knocked the sword out of mid-air.

After defusing the attack, Linghu Chong prepared to counterattack, but the light in front of him suddenly dimmed and a dark shadow loomed over him.

Jiang Ning's expression was cold and stern. He raised his left hand, bent his arm inward, and slammed his elbow, the hardest joint at the base of his arm, down hardly on the right side of Linghu Chong's face.

A whooshing sound came from beside him. Linghu Chong's face turned serious. Faced with this sudden attack, he had no time to retaliate and could only raise his right hand to defend his face. At the same time, he was also startled.

The junior apprentice is faster than before.

Bang!

A muffled thud sounded between Linghu Chong and Jiang Ning.

A sharp pain shot through his arm, and Linghu Chong's brows furrowed involuntarily. The force of his opponent was so great that his body bent forward involuntarily, and his hand holding the sword trembled.

Jiang Ning looked down at Linghu Chong from his high vantage point, stretched out his right hand, grabbed the sword he had just thrown, and with a flick of his wrist, swung it upwards.

A cold glint flashed, and seeing the sharp sword that was brought up, Linghu Chong couldn't help but twitch his eyelids. He pushed Jiang Ning away with all his might, and at the same time, he retreated rapidly, widening the distance between the two.

He lost the initiative and fell into a disadvantageous position in the previous rounds. He can't continue fighting, otherwise he will become more and more passive.

Chapter 17: The Phoenix Arrives

"Ning'er's methods are becoming more and more ruthless."

Ning Zhongze, who was watching the battle, frowned slightly.

Although it was a martial arts competition between fellow disciples, Jiang Ning showed no mercy and his moves were ruthless.

Yue Buqun remained silent, calmly watching the battle between the two.

Unlike the casual exchanges with other disciples, the fight between Linghu Chong and Jiang Ning was a serious contest.

Both Linghu Chong and Jiang Ning were outstanding disciples of Yue Buqun, and he valued them highly.

The monthly internal assessment, while intended to evaluate the disciples' learning progress, also served as a practical opportunity for them. He would observe from the sidelines, pointing out their shortcomings and helping them correct them.

However, the other disciples were not very skilled in martial arts, so Yue Buqun only told them to stop when they were about to be defeated. Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong, on the other hand, were the best of the Huashan Sect, so they were naturally different from the other disciples.

Only through real combat can one improve the fastest.

This was not only his idea, but also that of Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong.

Moreover, doing so can inspire their passion for martial arts training.

Jiang Ning goes without saying; even Yue Buqun himself probably couldn't match his diligence.

After all, he has a wife.

Sometimes he worried that Jiang Ning was too obsessed with practicing martial arts and that something might go wrong with Jiang Ning's health.

Linghu Chong, however, was different.

His eldest disciple, although talented, was lazy and only moved when provoked.

When Linghu Chong's strength reached the level of a second-rate master, none of the disciples in the sect were stronger than him. At that time, Jiang Ning had not yet reached the level of a second-rate master, so Linghu Chong became lazy, going down the mountain to play and drink, and he was not as diligent in practicing martial arts as before.

To keep him on track, Yue Buqun took Linghu Chong to visit other Five Mountains Sword Sects for a period of time. This was partly to build rapport and partly to have Linghu Chong compete with disciples from other sects, so that he would feel a sense of urgency.

He had visited all the Five Mountains Sword Sects, including the Songshan Sect. He had defeated all the second-generation disciples of the four major sword sects, and none of them were his match. At that time, people from the other Five Mountains Sword Sects thought that Yue Buqun had come to cause trouble. Fei Bin, Lu Bai, and others of his generation from the Songshan Sect almost wanted to personally challenge him to a duel.

Yue Buqun had no choice but to terminate the activity.

He never intended to take Linghu Chong to visit Shaolin or Wudang.

The Five Mountains Sword Sects are closely united. Although the Songshan Sect wants to annex the other four sects, it has not yet taken any action and is only making preparations in secret. Therefore, they still maintain an alliance on the surface.

But Shaolin and Wudang are different. They are two major righteous sects. If Yue Buqun leads Linghu Chong to Shaoshi Mountain and Wudang Mountain to challenge his second-generation disciples, then it is not a friendly exchange, but a provocation.

Originally, Yue Buqun wanted to put some external pressure on Linghu Chong, but after returning from that trip, Linghu Chong discovered that he was actually the most skilled martial artist among the second-generation disciples of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, so he became even lazier, which gave Yue Buqun a huge headache.

This situation only improved after Jiang Ning also reached the level of a second-rate master.

Jiang Ning was talented, young, and hardworking. At the beginning of the sect's internal assessment and martial arts competition, Linghu Chong was able to suppress him, but after a while, Jiang Ning was able to hold his own. After a while, the two were evenly matched. Before this sect assessment, the previous martial arts competitions were difficult to determine and ended in a draw.

Linghu Chong can no longer suppress Jiang Ning at all. The two are evenly matched in strength. If it weren't for his experience traveling outside and his rich combat experience from real battles, he would have been defeated if he had been careless.

A fist has the advantage of youth and strength, and Jiang Ning is stronger than him now.

Feeling the pressure from his junior brother, Linghu Chong stopped being lazy and practiced diligently without Yue Buqun's supervision, and he went down the mountain less often.

So even though Jiang Ning has been working hard to improve his skills, he is not standing still.

The two made rapid progress.

Yue Buqun was very satisfied with this.

He understood Linghu Chong well. Although Linghu Chong was lazy, he was proud. He would become lazy when no one was better than him, but when he found that his junior brothers in his own sect were gradually catching up with him and even about to surpass him, he could also muster the spirit of hanging his head from the beam and pricking his thigh with an awl to cultivate.

The fight between the two appears dangerous, but Yue Buqun is watching closely. He will intervene immediately if the other party is in any real danger.

when!

A metallic clang.

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong swung their swords at each other, the smooth blades reflecting their faces.

Linghu Chong looked seriously at the face so close to his, his previous carefree attitude gone, and his hair fluttered in the wind.

"It's been a few months since we last had a martial arts match, and Junior Brother's skills have improved again."

Jiang Ning's eyes were cold, and he remained silent.

Linghu Chong was not surprised; that was his junior brother's fighting style—he didn't waste words during battle.

However, in the brief moment he was speaking, Jiang Ning raised his hand and struck him in the chest. Linghu Chong was startled and immediately retreated.

when!when!when!

A flash of sword light, and the longswords clashed repeatedly, emitting a piercing, sharp sound.

Taking advantage of Linghu Chong's retreat, Jiang Ning unleashed three consecutive sword strikes, each one heavier than the last, the veins on his arms bulging beneath his sleeves.

Linghu Chong was struggling to defend himself against the three sword strikes; the hilt of his sword vibrated incessantly, and his hand holding the sword trembled.

Seeing Jiang Ning advancing triumphantly and relentlessly pursuing him, Linghu Chong gritted his teeth, his expression tense, and let out a long howl.

"I haven't wasted this time either!"